Thursday, February 20, 2014

49 UHeart Organizing: The Junk Drawers That Went Glam

Two contributors, two junk drawers, two ways!  I love that something is in the air and folks are tackling their junk, or what I like to call "everything", drawers.  These can be the most challenging drawers to keep under control so it is always interesting to see how others take on the types of drawers that have no single purpose.

Leave it to my buddy Cassie to color me impressed!  Her and I are two birds of a feather and have an appreciation of making organizing functional and fun.  This girl has some serious style, which you can see over at her blog Hi Sugarplum, and today she is here to show us how she organized a couple of drawers doing multiple duties in her kitchen.


In our Kitchen remodel a few years ago, we were able to remove the dated wall oven and microwave, and carve out this little nook with two rows of drawers.  While I think drawers are a more efficient use of space than cabinets, they are easy victims for accumulating junk. It's just so easy to toss in any random object, then quickly close the drawer and ignore what's happening inside.  Hence the term junk drawer!  At first glance, no one knows about all those skeletons hiding just beneath the surface!


The height of the bottom drawers made them perfect for pots, pans, and appliances, but the top two drawers are too short for much of anything...so they immediately became the dumping zone.  The size also made it hard for me to find organizing trays and dividers, so most everything was sliding around willy-nilly.


Besides more junk, the second drawer held a bunch of my craft supplies.  But I've since organized all of those into one efficient Craft Closet, so that left the drawer pretty much empty.  Don't you love how good organizing actually creates more space?


I knew if I wanted to keep the drawers tidy long-term, then I'd need to make them cute.  Just like with our Pantry, if it looks good, my family is more likely to put things back in the proper place.  The junkier it looks, the junkier you're likely to keep it.  You can knit that on a pillow if you want.

So after cleaning out the drawers, purging all the dried-up pens, empty gum wrappers, 2-year-old coupons and receipts from 1981, I lined the bottoms with wrapping paper, held in place with washi tape.


I love this set of baskets because they are shallow and allow you to customize to your drawer like puzzle pieces. But since I'm a blogger, I had to jazz them up to keep me interested.


Liberace and I go way back, so of course I went gold.


I love the combo of graphic paper with pretty metallic...there's no mistaking these drawers for junk anymore!


Then I sorted the remaining items, and rounded-up all the other random things we seem to need daily, but can never find, and organized them in the two drawers.


My kids are old enough that I don't have to keep dangerous things out of reach, but there's no sense in mixing box cutters with glue sticks.  So I dedicated one drawer to everyday kid stuff they need for homework and projects, and the other holds the more grown-up items.  They have free reign to access this drawer, and help themselves to anything in it.  As long as they put it back, of course. Ain't nobody wants to see mommy's head spin around.


I know ya'll are nosy like me, so I labeled everything to make the snooping easier.


Double-decker organizers are perfect for using every bit of vertical space in a drawer.



Having this drawer has cut down on the, 'Mooooooooooommmmmmmmmm, where's a staaaaaaaplerrrrrrr?' #halleluiah


The other drawer holds mostly things the Mister and I use, and like to have handy. Because sometimes walking to the garage for the tape measure is just exhausting.


Get your snoop on....


We have a charging station at our Family Command Center, but somehow we still have 87 more chargers, cords, and headphones. (I lean towards the exaggeration, if you hadn't noticed.)  Look how pretty they are corralled together!  You're petting the screen, aren't you?


Each is wound with a cable tie and labeled, so there's no mistaking the electronic.


Same goes for all the lenses, cords and accessories for my camera.




Now these drawers make me so happy I could join the circus. Sometimes I keep them open just to admire...no more slamming them closed before anyone sees 'the real me.'


I dare you to call them junk drawers now! Them is fighting words! Happy organizing, lovebugs!



"Hi, I'm Cassie, a DIY and design-obsessed Texas girl, and lover of travel, fashion, sarcasm and Mexican food. When I'm not hanging with my sweet and funny family, you can find me kicking the '80s out of our home, one budget project at a time, on my blog Hi Sugarplum!"




Update!  Thank you sweet readers for warning Cassie and myself the dangers of the 9-Volt battery storage.  Cassie is making tweaks to her drawer based on the response.  This blog is all about educating one another, and I truly appreciate you guys mentioning it!  xoxo!

49 comments:

  1. Where did you get the wire and plastic bins?
    Thanks!

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    1. Hi Anon! The wire bins are from Target, and the plastic stacker is from Container Store (only $4!)

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    2. I use different size boxes and cut the height down to fit in drawers. Cost o dollars!

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  2. REALLY love those little metallic baskets!

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  3. Ahh I love the wrapping paper and washi tape and the gold bins! I need to redo my "everything" drawers again!

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  4. Now I wish I had more drawers in my kitchen to organize like this! Beautiful!

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  5. nice! i especially like the cable ties with labels, but I can't seem to find them online. anyone know where they're from?

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    1. Thanks Caroline! They are Martha Stewart for Staples!

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    2. Hi Cassie, I can't seem to find these cable ties on Staples site? Do you have a link for them? Thanks for the help. :)

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    3. I ADORE these everything drawers! Problem is, I've accumulated so many old cords over the years that are still useable that they wouldn't fit inside a drawer. But they were a tangled mess. So, I put each one in a sandwich bag, making such both ends are visible. I store all the bags in a cube storage box in my closet, along with other similar boxes. I can't tell you the times these cords have rescued me from urgent electronic situations!

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  6. What kind of labels did you use on your chords!? My husband's career is in the technology world, and I swear all those chords multiply in our sleep!

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    1. Those cords breed...I'm sure of it! My labels are from Staples...martha stewart of course!

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  7. Another reason to start cleaning out some drawers. Sadly, her befores look better than mine. I am hoping to have stellar results, though! Keep the inspiration coming :)

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  8. Cassie is so cute and I always love seeing what project she's come up with next. Time to tackle my junk drawers!

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  9. Great Job Cassie! I live the black and white liner and the gold!

    www.bajantexan.blogspot.com

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  10. Looks great! I keep my charger cables in empty toilet paper rolls (which I painted a nice sky blue) in a drawer :)

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  11. These look awesome but I took my junk drawer tackle a little down a different path... I dumped the kitchen junk drawer and embraced my "all or nothing" mentality! It now houses pot holders... and no junk :) Trying to totally embrace the "like with like" rule so I won't have mini-offices and such scattered everywhere. One drawer at a time! ;)

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  12. Teeny bit of advice: House your batteries upright or side by side. Otherwise, their energy will diminish. GORGEOUS junk drawers Luv your blog! :)

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  13. LOVE IT! I agree drawers are much more efficient than cabinets. I have two normal sized drawers and four 4 inch wide drawers in my kitchen...i don't know who planned that out, but it's pretty crummy! I love all those drawers and it's soo pretty! Awesome!

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  14. Cords, cords, cords! I hate all of those cords. You're right they multiply when we're not looking. You managed to tame them. You go cowgirl. I guess it's because you're a Texas gal you know how to wrangle them! Love the "no more junk" drawers. Beautiful!

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  15. Hi! Would you be able to share where you purchased the labels that wrapped around your cords and camera items? Thanks!

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    1. Hi Anon! They are Martha Stewart...available at Staples!

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  16. I love how you organized the junk drawers. I also have two junk drawers in my kitchen but it seems like I'm the only one obsessed with keeping it neat.

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  17. Oh boy oh boy! Those drawers look amazing!! :) :)

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  18. oh please don't store batteries like that - big fire hazard ... http://ehssafetynews.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/house-fires-caused-by-storage-of-9-volt-aa-batteries-on-the-rise/

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  19. You're right! Those are glam drawers! :) I love your idea of using the wrapping paper and washi tape... I'm feeling inspired to go "dress up" some of my drawers now.

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  20. I LOVE the updated drawers, and my heart did a little jump of happiness seeing everything laid out so neatly! Until I saw the camera lenses just laying there, no padding or protection whatsoever... is it just me, or did that freak anyone else out?!

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  21. I love the use of wrapping paper to make the bottoms pretty!

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  22. Ironically, cleaning out my junk drawers is my project this morning (almost typoed that as drunk drawers - would be fitting considering how they look lol.) I have 3 of them and just found some walmart receipts from 2005 in one of them! Eek!

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  23. The drawers look beautiful. The only change I would make is the batteries. If the positive and negative ends touch, they can cause a fire. I also noticed the 9 volt battery near the metal basket. If the two pips touch the basket, they can spark a fire. Cover the ends with electrical tape to prevent a fire. (See this article: http://www.kctv5.com/story/24594124/kctv5-exposes-the-9-volt-battery-fire-danger)

    Be safe.

    Mel

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  24. I LOVE how your junk/everything drawers came out. I need two everything drawers. I think I will have to do some reorganizing of my kitchen. Oh the wheels are turning now. hmmmmmm!!! :)

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  25. I need to be more organized like this! I think my daily anxiety would be gut in half!

    Those little baskets are perfect!

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  26. Looks awesome!!! This gives me hope for your junk drawer!! :)

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  27. Wow! I'm impressed. They look amazing!

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  28. I just wish I had enough drawers to do this!! Super cute!

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  29. Cassie - your drawers are beautiful!! I couldn't help but notice the Nespresso pods in the "before" shots - and I have to ask where did they end up? I have such an issue storing ours, and given I love all your ideas, thought I'd ask! Thanks!! :)

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    1. Hi Meg! Not sure how Cassie ultimately organized hers, but I use a tin like this for mine: http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/martha-stewart-collection-food-storage-canister-vintage?ID=643490. Cute enough to keep them on the counter. I am guessing most canisters would work great if you have the room next to your machine. Otherwise, I would imagine a regular drawer organizer would also do the trick. xoxo!

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    2. Hi Meg! I'm with Jen, and found cute canisters to store my K-cups on the counter next to the coffee maker. The thing I like about the Nespresso is the pods are so small, so I keep those in a cute bowl n the glass cabinets over the coffee maker. (yes, we have both!! #coffeeaddicts) Hope that helps!

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  30. I enjoyed the way you have organized the content of the drawer. My drawer on the kitchen is always in a mess because my kids like to see what is hidden there. Of course there are no matches or knifes so they are safe.

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  31. It Looks amazing! I love the gold!

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  32. You inspired me! Thank you! I ran to Tuesday Morning last night and bought a bunch of metal baskets (picture me rearranging the different sized baskets to make a 17" x 19" drawer plan, right there on a shelf in the store! Good thing I took a picture before bringing them to the register). My fiance loves the result. Thanks again!!

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  33. I recently watched a video where a home caught on fire from loose batteries like you have. It mainly happens with 9 volt batteries but could happen with any. It's something with a jostle causing a positive and a negative touching. I keep mine in the packages now to prevent that.

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    1. Thank you so much Steph! The end up the post has been updated to acknowledge the battery storage. xo!

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  34. Love it! - where are those fantastic rubber band tag things that you're using to hold your cords together from?

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  35. How did you organized your nespresso sleeves ?

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    1. I am not sure how Cassie ultimately organized hers, but I use a tin like this for mine: http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/martha-stewart-collection-food-storage-canister-vintage?ID=643490. Cute enough to keep them on the counter. I am guessing most canisters would work great if you have the room next to your machine. Otherwise, I would imagine a regular drawer organizer would also do the trick. xoxo!

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    2. Hi Anon -- since the nespresso pods are so small, I moved them to a cute bowl in the glass cabinets above the coffee maker! Hope this helps!

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